Wesleyan College Names Jayme Pendergast Vice President, Athletics and Chief of Staff to the President
MACON, GA - Wesleyan College has appointed Jayme Pendergast as Vice President, Athletics and Chief of Staff to the President, effective November 2, 2026. Her arrival represents Wesleyan’s latest investment in a rapidly expanding athletics program, following its move to the NAIA, the addition of new sports and scholarships, and significant improvements to facilities and student-athlete support.
Pendergast brings more than 15 years of higher education and collegiate athletics leadership, including nearly a decade at Life University, where she served as Director of Athletics and later Executive Advisor for Strategic Priorities. During her tenure, Life added 14 varsity sports and grew into metro Atlanta’s largest collegiate athletics program, with more than 700 student-athletes.
Her record combines competitive and academic success. Life University teams won 13 national championships and recorded multiple top-10 finishes in the Learfield Directors’ Cup under her leadership, while student-athletes achieved record departmental grade point averages, graduation numbers and academic honors.
“When we joined the NAIA, we were clear about the kind of athletics program we wanted to build at Wesleyan,” said Wesleyan College President Meaghan Blight. “Every team here is a women’s team, and every athletics investment we make is an investment in women. That commitment should be visible in the teams we offer, the facilities they use, the academic support available to them and the people leading our program. Jayme has guided teams to national championships while making academic achievement part of the measure of success. She brings the experience to help us make all these investments work together for our student-athletes.”
The appointment follows a year of substantial growth at Wesleyan. Since the transition to NAIA competition and the introduction of athletic scholarships, student-athlete enrollment has increased 121% in one year. Wesleyan expanded its offerings for 2026–2027 with competition cheerleading, flag football, ice hockey and wrestling; rugby is scheduled to begin competition in 2027–2028.
Wesleyan is matching that growth with an ambitious investment in its historic campus. The $9 million transformation of Porter Gymnasium, now underway and planned to open in fall 2027, will bring student-athlete study areas, training and workout facilities, two gymnasiums, and new spaces for recreation, wellness and campus life into a centralized home for the College’s growing athletics community.
Academic support is growing alongside the competition opportunities. Wesleyan has added Athletic Academic Success Specialist Josie Hadaway to help student-athletes manage demanding academic and athletic schedules and connect with the resources they need. The College’s Rise-Up study hall program provides additional structured time for coursework, complementing Wesleyan’s small classes and direct relationships between students and professors.
Together, the new teams, facilities and student support establish the foundation for the next phase of Wesleyan Athletics. Pendergast’s appointment brings leadership experienced in building successful programs at scale and connecting competitive performance with academic outcomes and the wider college experience.
“Wesleyan has made a clear commitment to what women’s athletics can be here,” said Pendergast. “The College is expanding opportunities to compete, creating dedicated academic support and building a home for its student-athletes. The next step is making sure those pieces work together every day — through the coaches we hire, the standards we set and the support each student receives. I want us to build teams capable of competing nationally and an experience that prepares women for opportunities well beyond their final season.”
In her additional role as Chief of Staff to the President, Pendergast will work closely with President Blight on institutional priorities beyond athletics. She brings experience from her work as Life University’s Executive Advisor for Strategic Priorities, where she supported initiatives across the institution.
Pendergast has also held leadership roles with the NAIA National Administrative Council and National Collegiate Rugby. Her honors include the 2023 Southern States Athletic Director of the Year Award, the 2024 Women Leaders in Sports Nike NAIA Executive of the Year Award and recognition among the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2024 Women of Influence honorees.
Her appointment adds experienced executive leadership to an athletics program Wesleyan is deliberately shaping around the ambitions, academic success and future opportunities of women.
